Patrick Tape Fleming’s New Blog Seeks to Inspire Greatness

Author: Nate Logsdon

If you go to rock shows in Iowa then it’s pretty much guaranteed that you have been inspired by the energy, joy, and music of Patrick Tape Fleming. He is the founder and one of the songwriters of the Poison Control Center, one of the greatest and most influential Iowa rock bands of all time. Countless Iowa artists (myself included) have taken cues from Patrick’s music and performance style.

Patrick has a flair for creating extraordinary moments at live shows. His passion and his sweat makes the crowd feel that they are a part of an important moment, that they are having a powerful experience, that they are included in a family. He breaks the barrier between the band and the audience and leaves crowds sparkly-eyed and energized.

After recently quitting his day job, Patrick started thinking about how he could turn his skills as an inspiring performer into a small business. “I’ve been thinking for a while about being like a life coach or a music consultant that helps people that are struggling with their work or their artistic life to find new inspiration,” he said.

The idea led him to start a new blog called Inspiring Extraordinary Performance. The website will feature interviews with inspiring individuals from many walks of life, from art and culture to business and management. “I’m the kinda person who gets inspired by so many different things, whether it’s art or music or architectural buildings,” Patrick said. “If someone needs a kick in the butt they can go read a little five-minute blog and get motivation.”

Patrick is a creator to the core. “If I don’t have something going on, I get kinda down and out,” he said. “Creating things inspires me. We only have a short time on this earth so we should probably give as much back to it as we possibly can.”

His blog will definitely be inspiring and relevant to artists. But Patrick is also interested in making his website applicable to businesses and other organizations. In fact, he sees a lot of overlap between the creative life of the musician and artist and the idea-driven world of business and innovation. He learned how to run a business from the prolific national touring he has done with the Poison Control Center.

He has identified a few principles from the touring life that are applicable to an inspiring and successful life as a businessperson: being frugal, being extraordinary every day, collaborating, practicing your craft, and staying positive. “I’m inspired by my friends, my family, the music and the art they create,” he said.

Get into this blog. Patrick is exactly the kind of inspiring and extraordinary person that he’ll be interviewing there. You want the positivity he picks up from others to rub off on you.